The private members club market in the UK

01/ How big is the private members club industry?

No official count, but credible estimates.

There is no official statistic for the number of private members’ clubs in the UK. Clubs are not a category in national statistics, and many are private companies or unincorporated associations.

The best available figures are press estimates. The Evening Standard reported in July 2026 that “by most estimates there are between 130 and 140 private members’ clubs in London today, far more than in any other city” (Evening Standard, 20 July 2026; press report).

The Observer put the figure at “more than 133 clubs in London” in December 2025 (The Observer, 3 December 2025; press column).

The same Standard piece compares New York at “an estimated 35 to 40 clubs” (Evening Standard). Treat all of these as estimates; none is a census.

02/ Private members club growth

More openings in four years than in thirty.

Knight Frank’s 2024 guide found that “more private members’ clubs have opened in the past four years than in the three decades following the 1985 opening of London’s iconic Groucho Club”, and that “the pipeline of prospective openings is the largest it has ever been” (Knight Frank, A Guide to Private Members’ Clubs, 16 September 2024; property consultancy research).

The pipeline has kept filling. The Observer quoted consultant Jamie Caring as aware of “six in development” in December 2025 (The Observer); the Standard quoted an industry insider citing “eight or nine” potential openings at early planning stage in July 2026 (Evening Standard).

Recent London openings named in that reporting include Lighthouse Social in Fulham, NEXUS in Kensington, Maslow’s Kensington, 40 Duke at Selfridges and The Pembroke in Belgravia, which the Standard reported as an investment of more than £100 million (Evening Standard).

03/ Private members club investment

Big money has bought the big groups.

In August 2025 Soho House agreed to be taken private for $2.7bn (£2bn) by a consortium led by MCR Hotels, with Ashton Kutcher joining the board; the BBC reported the group then had 46 Soho Houses across Europe, North America and Asia (BBC News, 19 August 2025; press report).

Earlier that month the Telegraph reported Soho House’s first run of consecutive quarterly operating profits, and “more than 270,000 members” (Telegraph, 8 August 2025; press report of company results).

In April 2026 DIAFA, an Abu Dhabi hospitality platform affiliated with International Holding Co., completed a majority investment in Richard Caring’s portfolio, including the Birley Clubs (Annabel’s, George, Harry’s Bar, Mark’s Club), in a deal the company described as worth ten figures (Gulf News, 12 April 2026; press report of a company statement).

The Standard reported The Pembroke as backed by the Oman Investment Authority (Evening Standard).

04/ Regional spread

London leads; the country is the new frontier.

Outside London the picture is mixed. The Observer reported that traditional city clubs “are dwindling”: Norwich still has three, Leeds once had seven and “now has none”, and older clubs such as Edinburgh’s New Club and Manchester’s St James’s Club remain (The Observer).

The growth is in the countryside. Knight Frank’s September 2026 Residence Report describes clubs “expanding beyond cities into the country”, from Nobu’s partnership at Woolfox in Rutland to the Cotswolds cluster of Soho Farmhouse, Estelle Manor and Bamford’s club (Knight Frank, Residence Report 2026; property consultancy research).

Clubs move house prices. Knight Frank found that in August 2024 demand for homes within 15 minutes’ drive of Soho Farmhouse ran at more than twice the surrounding average, with 2.3 buyers registering for every one in adjacent areas, and that overseas buyers rose from 12% across the Cotswolds to 26% near the club (Knight Frank, 2024 guide).

05/ Private members club trends

Wellness, hybrids and harder doors.

The Standard describes three waves: the Pall Mall gentlemen’s clubs, the Soho House-inspired lifestyle clubs of the 1990s and 2000s, and “today’s wellness and specialist interest clubs” (Evening Standard).

Club-hotel hybrids are the investment story. City AM reported The Ned’s plan for a rural concept that will “comprise of more than just a hotel and a club” (City AM).

Exclusivity is being managed, not just sold. Knight Frank notes Soho House temporarily stopped accepting new members in London, New York and Los Angeles in December 2023 to prevent overcrowding (Knight Frank); the Telegraph reported applications had reopened by August 2025 with a record waiting list (Telegraph).

Clubs are also changing how they work. Laptops, all-day use and workspace are contested: the Observer reports Soho House restricted laptops to set times and areas (The Observer).

For trends across all membership organisations, not just clubs, see membership trends.

06/ The risks in the boom

Openings are easy; lasting is hard.

Not everyone thinks the boom will hold. The Observer quoted club historian Seth Thévoz: “The average lifespan of a club is three years… The closure rate is 90%” (The Observer). That is one historian’s estimate, quoted in a column, not a measured rate.

Knight Frank recorded closures in 2024, including House of St Barnabas and the women-only club Chief (Knight Frank).

Tax rules are a newer pressure. The Standard reported non-doms leaving the UK were advised to resign club memberships, because HMRC guidance on the Statutory Residence Test lists club membership as possible evidence of UK ties (Evening Standard).

Capacity is the other risk: the Standard quotes a rival operator saying there is “too much club capacity in London”.